After Trick or Treating, It’s the Trick of Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder

Well, it's that time of year again, when people start feeling blue, depressed, sapped of energy and filled with "what's the point of it all" ennui.

Therapists notice it right away, because the phone starts ringing off the hook – new clients looking for help, and people who terminated their therapy years ago, coming back for a tune-up.

And yes, it's connected with the difficult issues in their lives, but chances are, these issues were operating over the summer too, but just didn't hit them as hard as when the sun started getting stingier with its light.

We see it here at Health Journeys every fall, too – way more orders for resources addressing depression, anxiety, traumatic stress and grief. It's been that way for the two dozen years we've been around.

So, just a reminder of a few simple but important tips to help with depression:

Make yourself get up in the morning. Sleeping late is not a good idea for depression. Haul yourself out of bed!

Reduce your intake of sugar, caffeine and booze. You may get a short term boost, but you'll pay through the nose an hour or two later.

Move! Exercise helps! You won't feel like it if you're depressed, but make it an act of will to get on that treadmill.

Try those special seasonal depression lights, a half-hour a day in the morning, during sun-deprived seasons.

Ask for support from those who can give it and avoid those who can't.

Talk nicely to yourself and interrupt negative self-talk. Self-criticism is a signature feature of depression and the cognitive distortion that messes with your outlook.

Keep a schedule, stay active, even if you don't feel like it. (You won't.)

Psychotherapist, author and guided imagery pioneer Belleruth Naparstek is the creator of the popular Health Journeys guided imagery audio series. Her latest book on imagery and posttraumatic stress, Invisible Heroes: Survivors of Trauma and How They Heal (Bantam Dell), won the Spirituality & Health Top 50 Books Award.